Learn More About Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Symptoms

Before moving on to the fetal alcohol syndrome symptoms you should know that the syndrome is caused by exposure to alcohol during pregnancy. The complications caused by the syndrome include mental retardation, physical deformities, vision difficulties, learning disorders, and also behavioral problems.

The symptoms of FAS

We can’t be referring to FAS as one birth defect; it is a group of problems that are the most serious in case of alcohol exposure during pregnancy. The group of problems is called fetal alcohol spectrum disorders.

When thinking about the symptoms of FAS you should know that the syndrome is a wide spread cause of retardation, even though it can be prevented. The seriousness of the problems varies. Some of the children could have mild problems while the others could have serious ones.

The fetal alcohol syndrome symptoms include specific facial features, such as the baby having thin upper lip, small eyes, an upturned, short nose, smooth skin connecting the upper lip and the nose. The limbs, joints and fingers could also have some deformities.

Some other symptoms of FAS involve slow growth and development after or before birth, hearing problems or eyesight difficulties, small brain circumference known as microcephaly or small head circumference, poor coordination, delayed development or mental retardation.

As it has been mentioned, the fetal alcohol syndrome symptoms could also include learning disorders, abnormal behavior meaning lack of attention, no impulse control, hyperactivity, anxiousness, extreme nervousness, or heart defects.

The truth about the symptoms of FAS is that the facial deformities seen in this case could also be seen in case of the normal babies. In order to know what caused a specific facial expression there is need for a specialist. It is possible that the doctors use some other terms to specify the signs.

When to seek help?

In order to avoid the fetal alcohol syndrome symptoms in case you have a drinking habit and you simply can’t stop, make sure to talk to your health care provider and ask for help. It is important to know that the lack of an early diagnosis can lead to long term issues and this is why you should tell your doctor in case you have been drinking.

It may be crucial, in case of the symptoms of FAS, to seek help even before the problems arise. In case you adopted a baby or you are working for foster care there is no way for you to know that the mother has been consuming alcohol or not and so if problems occur, FAS may not be the first thing you think of.

Still, you can suspect fetal alcohol syndrome symptoms if the child is having behavioral problems or learning difficulties. Nonetheless this is something you should discuss with the doctor since he or she is the one who should recognize the signs.

Causes of the symptoms of FAS

In case a pregnant woman consumes alcohol, it reaches the bloodstream and it also gets to the developing baby through the placenta. It is known that the liver of babies processes alcohol slower than in case of adults, and so the blood alcohol concentrations inside the blood of the baby are higher than the one in the mother’s blood.

In case you are thinking about the fetal alcohol syndrome symptoms you should know that alcohol during pregnancy could also interfere with the nutrition and oxygen delivery to the baby and so the tissues and organs, including the brain, may not develop as they should. The more alcohol you have during your pregnancy, the higher the chances are for the baby to be affected by some birth defects.

Learn More About Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Symptoms was last modified: April 16th, 2012 by pnreddy1